Most very conservative Christian denominations teach that homosexual behavior is condemned
by the Bible, is hated by God, is a chosen, abnormal, unnatural lifestyle, and can
often be "cured"
though therapy. They feel that condemning homosexual behavior and urging
homosexuals to seek reparative therapy is an act of love.

Religious liberals, gays, lesbians, human sexuality researchers,
psychologists and psychiatrists generally look upon adult homosexual orientation
as fixed and unchangeable. It is seen as normal and
natural for a minority of the adult population. They feel that
it is homophobia, (i.e. active discrimination against gays and lesbians) not homosexual behavior,
that is the actual sin. They regard reparative
therapy as useless, dangerous and potentially life threatening. Many gays and lesbians have
tried this form of therapy, have inevitably failed to make a long-term change
to their sexual
orientation, and have become seriously depressed. Some have committed suicide. To condemn a person because
of their sexual orientation, and to urge that they seek an impossible cure is seen as hurtful
and an expression of hate. Many are concerned at the extensive
condemnation of homosexuality by conservative Christian sources. They feel that
what they consider hate rhetoric may be triggering some unstable individuals
into committing vicious hate crimes: "gay bashing" and even murder.
These perpetrators may be motivated by a belief that they are carrying out God's
will.

The very liberal and very conservative viewpoints are the ones that
receive the greatest press and Internet exposure. But many -- probably
most -- Christians take intermediate views. It is very common, for
example, for an Evangelical Christian to believe that homosexual behavior
is unacceptable, while being in favor of equal employment protection for
gays and lesbians. To further complicate the situation, the public's views
are in a state of rapid flux.

Sponsored link:

Is opposition to homosexuality a form of love?

This position is taken by many conservative Christian churches and large
Christian organizations. This is
largely based on their beliefs that:

Homosexual inclinations are caused by poor parenting or by sexual
molestation in childhood, and can be eliminated
through reparative therapy.

Some fundamentalist denominations go further. They teach that:

Homosexual behavior is particularly evil and
offensive to God. It is one of
the few sins that will prevent a person from attaining salvation and going
to heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 plainly states this, at least in most
of the English translations commonly used by Fundamentalists.

If gays and lesbians are truly saved, God will
remove their homosexual feelings and change them to heterosexuals. This
belief is largely based on 1 Corinthians 6:11. Some view
those who continue to engage in homosexual activities as unsaved and
destined for Hell. However, other conservative Christians accept that some
gays, lesbians, and bisexuals find it impossible to change sexual
orientation.

A logical development from these beliefs is that Christians have a duty, as
an act of love, to persuade homosexuals to leave the "gay lifestyle."
To do otherwise is to withhold vital information from gays and lesbians. Bob
Knight, a spokesperson from the Family Research Council, says that what
some call "intolerance," the Bible calls "truth."
He continued:

"It's disturbing to see so-called religious leaders tell
pastors that they cannot be clear and Biblical because someone may misinterpret
it and do something bad...If you stop telling the truth, you stop loving people
and treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve. They deserve the
truth." He concluded: "These groups are saying, 'If you stand
for sexual morality, you're, in fact, a hater.' And that's a pretty hateful
thing to say." 1

Focus on the Family, a Fundamentalist Christian organization, is
sponsoring a series of conferences throughout the United States. Nine 'Love
Won Out' conferences had been held by the end of 2001; they continue to the
present time at the rate of a few each year. They teach that if a gay or
lesbian accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, they can expect to be set free from
the "homosexual lifestyle." A recent change has been to teach
that homosexuality is both preventable and treatable. This agrees with the
stance of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
(NARTH) -- is a very small professional association. But it totally
conflicts with statements made by such groups as the
American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association.

Is opposition to homosexuality a form of hate?

This position is taken by many gays and lesbians, as well as religious
liberals, mental health professionals, human sexuality researchers, and some others. This is largely based on their beliefs that:

Many New Testament passages teach that
salvation is open to all persons, whether gay, bisexual or heterosexual. The word
"whosoever" in John 3:16 is one example.

Sexual orientation is caused by a mixture of unknown genetic and
environmental factors. It is not influenced by various parenting
methods.

Reparative therapy can motivate bisexuals to
seek relationships only with members of the opposite sex. It can convince
some gays and lesbians to remain celibate. But it cannot make a long-term change
to a person's
sexual orientation. One result of the inevitable failure of reparative
therapy is often severe depression. This sometimes leads to suicide.

Anti-homosexual sermons, rhetoric and ads
are thus viewed as harmful expressions of hate, in the same category as racism,
sexism, religious intolerance, xenophobia, etc.

On the first anniversary of the murder in Wyoming of gay college student
Matthew Shepard, some groups supporting diversity and tolerance were moved to
complain about what they feel is conservative Christian hatred. At that time, 1999-OCT, Russell Henderson was serving two life sentences
after having pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murder in 1999-APR. Henderson was
a Mormon, and was presumably motivated by the church's teachings on homosexuality.
He has since been excommunicated by his church. 5 Jury selection
had begun for Aaron McKinney who is accused of the same crimes.)

The Rev. Steven Baines, spokesperson of the group Equal Partners in
Faith, blames anti-gay sermons for at least part of Shepard's death
"because his killers had learned from society and places of worship
to hate someone who was perceived to be gay."

The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy is a spokesperson of the Interfaith Alliance. They
are a diverse liberal/mainline religious group that promotesmainstream
religious values. He said those who preach intolerance based on sexual
orientation are just as guilty of hate crimes as are the perpetrators:
"Even if you don't draw the straight line from one word, or one
organization, or one act to another act of 'hate violence,' we have all
created an environment in which hate violence is easy."

Which "side" is correct?

Many very conservative Christian organizations teach that "change"
is possible for homosexuals. They believe that it is an act of love to teach
gays and lesbians that change is possible. To tell homosexuals that change is
impossible is seen as an act of hate, intolerance, and ignorance.

Religious liberals, gays, lesbians, mental-health professionals, and human
sexuality researchers generally believe that sexual orientation in adults is
fixed. To help gays and lesbians accept the permanence of their orientation is
an act of love. It takes considerable effort for homosexuals to overcome years
of societal ignorance and intolerance. To tell homosexuals that they can change
their sexual orientation is an act of hate, intolerance, and ignorance.

This conflict came to a head after the 2000-AUG "Love Won Out"
conference in Minnesota. Sen. Paul Wellstone, (D-MN) congratulated
homosexual civil rights workers for their opposition to the conference. He
criticized Focus on the Family as "divisive and hurtful."
He hopes that the future will see "more respect and understanding of one
another, not intolerance." John Paulk, a gender and homosexuality
analyst for Focus on the Family commented that "Even politicians
and elected officials are only giving out a one-sided perspective on
homosexuality, and it's coming from a place of ignorance." Aaron Hall,
spokesperson for the Minnesota Family Institute commented: "We
felt the senator's response was very intolerant. Too often, the senator, as well
as the gay lobbyists and special interest groups on this issue, tell people that
they don't have a choice."

So, is "choice" possible? At one level, it certainly is. Anyone,
whether they have a heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual orientation can decide
to become celibate. But this option is not particularly satisfying for many
people. A decision to adopt celibacy generally means a lifetime of loneliness,
without an intimate partner. Most people are unable to handle this. In Genesis
2:18, God is quoted as saying "It is not good that the man should be alone."
6

The fundamental division of opinion is whether a homosexual (a
person who is sexually attracted only to people of the same gender) can enter
therapy and emerge as a heterosexual or bisexual, with feelings of sexual
attraction to members of the opposite gender. There appears to be no consensus
on this point:

The few studies that have been done by mental health professionals who are
not Evangelical Christians indicate that sexual orientation is fixed for all
or essentially all persons. But NARTH, the only
mental-health professional association who believes that homosexuality is a
curable disorder, has completed a short-term study which indicates that
reparative therapy can change a gay or lesbian's orientation.

The major mental-health professional associations have issued
statements
assuring the public that sexual orientation is fixed and that reparative
therapy is useless -- perhaps dangerous.

The large conservative Christian organizations (Christian Coalition,
Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, etc.) all claim that gays and
lesbians can become heterosexuals through salvation and therapy.

The small conservative Christian ministries who attempt to help gays and
lesbians report some success convincing homosexuals to become celibate, but
little or no success converting them to heterosexuals.

Gays and lesbians themselves generally claim that their sexual orientation
is unchangeable.

No long term, peer reviewed study into the effectiveness of reparative
therapy has ever been published. Nothing can be said with confidence about
reparative therapy, prayer, religious counseling or
any other form of therapy. Only anecdotal stories of individuals, and the
results of small-scale studies are available. NARTH had offered to join with the
American Psychological Association (APA) in conducting a detailed study
of the effectiveness of reparative therapy. The APA turned them down. A debate
over reparative therapy and the changeability of sexual orientation was
scheduled as part of the APA's year 2000 convention. However, it was cancelled
at the last moment.

It may seem incredible that a condition that affects perhaps 5% of the
population has never been studied in detail. Yet, a peer-reviewed, long term
study into the ability of gays and lesbians to change their orientation has
never been published....and none is likely to be published in the near future.

References:

"STOP THE HATE OR STOP THE TRUTH? -- Is opposition to
homosexuality hate speech, or just the Truth?" Citizenlink�,
Focus on the Family, 1999-OCT-12. Online at: http://www.family.org/

Equal partners in Faith is a multi-racial, multi-faith national
network of religious leaders and people of faith committed to equality and
diversity. See: http://www.us.net/epf/

The Interfaith Alliance Foundation promotes "the positive
role of religion as a healing and constructive force in public life."
They seek to "build a revitalized mainstream religious movement
based upon active civic participation." Their web site is at: http://www.tialliance.org/
They co-sponsored with the Fellowship
of Reconciliation a series of Interfaith vigils against hate violence on
1999-OCT-7. See: http://www.tialliance.org/